Catheters may be inserted into a patient's vasculature and deployed at various locations within the patient for a wide variety of purposes and medical procedures. For example, one type of catheter is used in percutaneous catheter intervention (PCI) for the treatment of a vascular constriction generally known as a stenosis. In this instance, the catheter has a distally mounted balloon that can be placed, in a deflated or collapsed condition, within the stenosis, and then inflated or expanded to dilate the narrowed lumen of a blood vessel. This type of balloon dilation therapy is generally referred to as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). When the treatment is more specifically intended for vessels of the heart, the process is known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). PTCA is utilized to open coronary arteries that have been occluded by a buildup of cholesterol fats and atherosclerotic plaque. The balloon at the distal end of the catheter is inflated causing a widening at the site of the stenosis.
Dilation of an occlusion, however, can form flaps, fissures, and dissections, that may result in re-closure of the dilated vessel or even perforations in the vessel wall. Implantation of a stent or other prosthesis can provide support for such flaps and dissections and thereby prevent re-closure of the vessel or provide a patch repair for a perforated vessel wall until corrective surgery can be performed. The stent is typically a cylindrically shaped device formed from wire(s) or a metal tube and is intended to act as a permanent prosthesis. The stent is deployed in a body lumen in a radially compressed configuration and is subsequently radially expanded to contact and support a body lumen. The stent can be implanted during an angioplasty procedure by using a balloon catheter having deployed thereon a compressed stent that has been loaded onto the balloon. The stent radially expands as the balloon is inflated thus forcing the stent into contact with the body lumen and forming a supporting relationship with the lumen walls. Alternatively, self expanding stents may be deployed with a sheath-based delivery catheter. Deployment is effected after the stent has been introduced percutaneously, transported transluminally, and positioned at a desired location by the delivery catheter. In addition to angioplasty and stenting procedures, other therapeutic procedures require the use of a delivery catheter; e.g. drug delivery devices, filters, occlusion devices, diagnostic devices, and radiation treatment.
Catheters, including both over-the-wire catheters and rapid exchange catheters, are commonly packaged and stored in a packaging hoop that consists of coiled tubing into which the catheter is inserted. A luer fitting located at the proximal end of the catheter is provided with a distal hub that fits into an opening in the tubing thus securing the catheter in the hoop. Balloons and/or stents are commonly disposed on a distal portion of catheters. When removing the catheter from the packaging hoop, an operator may grasp the proximal end of the hoop in order to separate the luer fitting from the hoop. However, by grasping the proximal end of the hoop, the opening in the tubing may become misshapen due to pressure from the fingers of the operator. Accordingly, when the balloon and/or stent attempt to pass through the opening, one or both may become damaged. Such damage may be especially problematic with coated stents which are now popular.
Accordingly, an improved packaging arrangement is desirable that discourages grasping the packaging at a location that can potentially damage an object passing through the packaging, such as a balloon and/or stent.